The morning’s first class was taught by Old Wu himself.
“Students, we’re heading to the campus backyard for today’s sword cultivation course.”
The moment he dropped those words, the entire class erupted in unprecedented shouts of surprise and various exclamations of disbelief.
“Is it true!? A sword cultivation class?”
“Old Wu, don’t trick us into going down there for a cleanup!”
Old Wu pressed his hands down, and the wave of noise immediately vanished.
He cleared his throat. “There’s no time to waste. Let’s go, follow me.”
With that, he took the lead and left the classroom.
***
A moment later, the students followed him out in groups like a flock of hungry little chicks.
Jiang Mengxin practically pushed Su Mumu along the entire way. They chattered as they walked.
‘I really don’t want to go down… wouldn’t it be better to stay in the classroom?’
“Mumu, you just want to sleep in the classroom, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Sleepyhead.”
The usable activity space in the backyard was not particularly large overall. However, the reason for choosing this spot was that it was nestled right against the mountains and far from the teaching building.
If any accidents occurred during teaching, there was no need to worry about damaging the surrounding facilities.
The class was just large enough to fill the area.
“Alright, students, find a clean spot to sit down. Next, I will give a brief explanation of the basics of the sword cultivation course.”
“Huh? Old Wu, you’re the one lecturing?”
“Shouldn’t it be another teacher?”
A group of students looked at each other in confusion.
Old Wu said indifferently, “You little brats, you’ve just started. Don’t be so demanding. Just listen to the lesson!”
“Fine, fine…” The students’ interest waned.
Su Mumu and Jiang Mengxin sat on a small stone stool on one side. A vacuum zone formed around them as if everyone had reached a silent agreement not to disturb the two flowers of the campus.
Amidst the students’ skeptical gazes, Old Wu’s vivid lecture began.
“The first class of sword cultivation is not about swinging a sword at a tree like an idiot; it is about feeling your own heart.”
“Students, you must spend a long time thinking about why you hold a sword. Only by understanding yourself can you walk the correct path of a sword cultivator.”
Su Mumu yawned as she listened, whispering, “Are those rehearsed lines?”
Jiang Mengxin shook her head. “Actually, no. The elite class has a specific lesson like this called… how to cultivate a sword spirit.”
“Really?” Su Mumu was stunned.
“Yeah, and the way the Old Man is explaining it is much easier to understand.” Jiang Mengxin murmured uncertainly, ‘Is he actually more professional than the teachers in the elite class?’
“How is that possible? He’s just an old fogey!” Su Mumu said lazily.
“True…” Jiang Mengxin stroked her chin, lost in thought.
Old Wu’s tone became much deeper, appearing as if he had fully entered the zone.
“But I must say this beforehand: the difficulty of cultivating a sword spirit is no less than doing a one-handed handstand push-up.”
“Not everyone can walk the path of a sword cultivator. Spirituality, comprehension, and resilience—you need all three. Steel yourselves, young people! Let your youth burn!”
“I don’t get it…”
“Old Wu, are you just reciting a script?”
“Exactly. I heard the elite class spends their first lesson on basic sword moves…”
Old Wu coughed twice. “Now, take out your swords. First, try some simple slashes to test what weight is suitable for your wrists.”
***
The students each found a spot and began to practice.
Su Mumu, however, was listless and entirely uninterested. There was nothing she could do; she couldn’t even enlarge her sword. Taking it out was just asking for embarrassment.
“Old Man, I’m requesting a leave of absence.” She raised her hand.
“What’s wrong?” The Old Man asked, walking over in confusion.
“I’m not feeling well. There are always a few days every month like this,” Su Mumu said with a straight face.
“Not this again. You’re unwell every single day.” Old Wu looked at her with disbelief. “It’s not even cold today. What, is this place too run-down for you and you feel wronged?”
“Not really,” Su Mumu said.
*Pfft.* Jiang Mengxin covered her mouth and giggled, unable to hold it in.
Su Mumu’s resentful gaze instantly locked onto Jiang Mengxin.
Old Wu became increasingly confused and looked at Jiang Mengxin as well. Both were waiting for a reply.
Jiang Mengxin fought to suppress her laughter and cleared her throat. “I just remembered something funny. Sorry.”
Su Mumu rolled her eyes at her without mercy.
“Su Mumu, if the swords here are too heavy…” Old Wu said, “I will apply to have a light and dainty accompanying sword made for you.”
“That’s nice of you?” Su Mumu was surprised.
“Of course. Even though we are an underachievers class, our treatment can’t be poor,” Old Wu said.
“Then I still want to skip,” Su Mumu muttered.
“No… you stubborn little girl…” The veins on Old Wu’s forehead throbbed.
“I’m going to cough up blood from anger because of you sooner or later. You were almost expelled before, and it was hard enough to reactivate your file.”
“The Principal even asked about your studies recently… No matter how much you dislike school, you should at least go through the motions!”
“Ugh, so annoying! I’ll go practice, alright? Stop nagging!” Su Mumu covered her ears.
She stood up and walked toward a relatively empty patch of ground.
Jiang Mengxin also stood up, brushed the dust off her skirt, and nodded slightly. “Old Man, I’m going to practice too.”
“Fine.” Old Wu shook his head helplessly.
Wherever Su Mumu was, Jiang Mengxin was there too. Wherever the two of them were, a vacuum zone would appear.
This made Su Mumu’s mental pressure much lighter. At least not many people were paying attention to her.
“Really… I’m just a little weakling. Why am I even practicing?” Su Mumu muttered miserably as she released her accompanying sword.
In her palm, the tiny silver sword radiated a faint light.
“There, there.” Jiang Mengxin’s voice came from beside her. It was very gentle, as was her soft palm.
Su Mumu muttered softly, “No touching Lord Mu’s head right now.”
Jiang Mengxin didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she smiled. “What’s wrong, Lord Mu? Do you not like this technique?”
“What kind of suggestive talk is that!” Su Mumu complained.
“You don’t need to feel too much pressure.” Jiang Mengxin thought for a moment.
“In the worst-case scenario, I’ll protect you from now on. Mumu will be responsible for eating, sleeping, and wagging her tail.”
“What do you mean, wagging my tail?” Su Mumu asked.
“Like a little puppy that happily wags its tail when its master comes home?” Jiang Mengxin revealed a mischievous, devil-like smile again.
“???” Su Mumu’s face was full of question marks.
“Don’t you want to, Mumu?” Jiang Mengxin’s voice seemed filled with a certain seductive quality.
Fortunately, the surrounding students were far enough away. Otherwise, this would have caused a massive earthquake!
Su Mumu stared at Jiang Mengxin with dead eyes. “Sister, I don’t have that kind of fetish.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Mengxin muttered thoughtfully. “But all canines know how to do it…”
“I’m not a dog,” Su Mumu immediately retorted.
“Mm-hmm—” Jiang Mengxin responded softly, but the smile on her face grew even deeper.
‘That’s right. You aren’t a dog; you’re a cunning little fox.’
“Alright, alright, don’t disturb me. I’m going to work hard on my sword practice.” Su Mumu closed her eyes and concentrated.
Around her, her classmates were one by one mastering basic sword moves. This inevitably made Su Mumu feel anxious.
‘Please… at least let me succeed just once? Is not even half a time okay…?’
In her mind, her thoughts were like a tangled ball of yarn that she couldn’t untangle no matter how hard she tried. Her body felt as if it were filled with lead—heavy and impossible to move.
Su Mumu was once again rejected by her accompanying sword. Even though she only needed to reach out to touch the light source in front of her… that light would always burn her fingertips.
Thanks for the chapter